California State University, Northridge

MGT 360

Organizational Behavior, Version 1.1

Bauer & Erdogan

FWK Test Item File

Chapter 14

TRUE/FALSE

1)Toyota employees feel a sense of ownership in their company, which is supported by the firm’s matrix structure.

 

 

2. Toyota employees are expected to be experts in what they do.

 

 

3. Toyota uses a system of continuous improvement and learning.

 

 

4. Just-in-time production leads to antagonistic relations between Toyota and its suppliers.

 

 

5. Decentralization is the concentration of decision making at higher levels in the organization.

 

 

6. Employees feel that decentralized organizations provide greater levels of procedural fairness.

 

 

7. If a firm is operating in a stable environment, the centralized organizational structure may lead to the most efficient operations.

 

 

8. A unionized firm has very formalized structures.

 

 

9. A formalized structure leads to faster decision making.

 

 

10. Tall structures have wider span of control than flat structures.

 

 

11. Flat structures are better at satisfying employee self-actualization needs while tall structures are better at satisfying employee security needs.

 

 

12. In divisional structures, employees tend to be more specialists than generalists.

 

 

13. Functional structures are most effective for companies with large product lines.

 

 

14. Employees working in dynamic environments depend on their general mental abilities for good performance.

 

 

15. Organic structures are highly formalized and centralized.

 

 

16. The biggest advantage of a mechanistic structure, especially in a stable environment, is its efficiency.

 

 

17. Organic structures are related to higher levels of job satisfaction.

 

 

18. Matrix organizations violate the unity of command principle.

 

 

19. Conflict at various levels is a potential issue for matrix organizations.

 

 

20. A strategic alliance is a type of boundaryless organization where all nonessential functions are outsourced.

 

 

21. A learning organization is one where acquiring knowledge and changing behavior as a result of the newly acquired knowledge is part of the organization’s design.

 

 

22. Organizational change can be either radical or incremental.

 

 

23. Moore’s law says the overall complexity of computer circuits will double every 18 months with no increase in costs, so firms will rapidly change their technology.

 

 

24. While manufacturing jobs have been outsourced, knowledge-based jobs are safe from outsourcing.

 

 

25. Change is more likely to occur in firms that are performing poorly because successful firms keep doing what they have done to make them successful.

 

 

26. Surveys indicate that resistance to change is one of the top two reasons why change efforts within organizations fail.

 

27. Passive resistance refers to sabotaging the change effort and being outspoken about the negative effects of change.

 

 

28. When people react to organizational change negatively, they are absent more often and are more likely to voluntarily leave the company.

 

 

29. Employees with a positive self-concept are better at coping with change.

 

 

30. Those employees who feel they can perform well under a new system will be more committed to change.

 

 

31. People do not welcome change whether it is favorable or not to them.

 

 

32. Resistance to change is never a positive force for an organization.

 

 

33. The first stage in Lewin’s Model of planned change is unfreezing.

 

 

34. Employees with more complete information are no more committed to the change effort than those who have less than complete information.

 

 

35. Convincing the opinion leaders in your organization of the need for organizational change is a more successful technique to ensure change than trying to get everyone on board at the same time.

 

 

36. During the change efforts, the organization should focus on big wins to demonstrate the success of the effort.

 

 

37. Cultures low in uncertainty avoidance are comfortable with change.

 

 

 

FILL IN THE BLANK

 

38. Toyota’s production system is built on principles of                                                                    

production

 

39. A culture of “never being satisfied” and rethinking how things are done facilitates

 

 

 

 

40.                                   production requires harmonious relationships between Toyota and its suppliers.

 

41.                                                               refers to how individual work and team work are coordinated within an organization.

42. The degree to which decision-making authority is concentrated at higher levels in an organization is    .

 

43. An organization where policies, procedures, job descriptions and rules are written and explicitly articulated is                                                                 .

 

44.                                  structures are associated with reduced motivation and job satisfaction and a slower pace of decision making.

 

45. A firm with several layers of management between frontline employees and the________________

top level has a

 

structure.

 

46. The number of employees reporting to a single manager is the                                                    

                      .

 

47. A firm that has departments for finance, manufacturing, human resources, accounting, and marketing is an organization in a                                                                          structure.

 

48. A pharmaceutical company with medical devices, consumer products, baby care, and health supplements as its departments is organized as a                                                                       structure.

 

49.                          structures are most effective for organizations that do not have large numbers of products.

 

50.         structures are highly formalized and centralized.

 

51. A flexible, decentralized structure with low levels of formalization where communication lines are more fluid is a(n)                                                                    structure.

 

52.                             organizations, which combine functional structures with product structures, violate the unity of command principle.

 

53. A                               organization is a type of boundaryless organization where all nonessential functions are outsourced. Toyota is one such organization.

 

54.                                   organizations are organizations that eliminate traditional barriers between departments as well as barriers between the organization and external environment.

 

55. A form of boundaryless organization where two or more companies find an area of collaboration and combine their efforts to create a partnership that is beneficial to both parties is a                         .

 

56. In                                               experimenting, learning new things and reflecting on new knowledge are the norms.

 

57. The most negative reaction to a proposed change attempt is                                               

                              .

 

58. Going along with proposed changes with little enthusiasm is                                               .

 

59. Michael defends the new change in company healthcare registration as helping the firm be more efficient. He says, “After all, we have healthcare. Let’s learn how to do this since it will help us.” Michael is reacting to the change using the

                                                 form.

 

60. The first stage of Lewin’s process of change model is                                        , which ensures that employees are ready for change.

 

61.                     is the final stage of Lewin’s process of change model which ensures that the change becomes permanent.

 

62. The                                     is used in Japan to build consensus by having proposals signed at lower levels and passed along to higher level management.

 

 

SHORT ANSWERS

 

63. What are the four building blocks of a company’s structure?

 

 

64. In what type of firms does centralization seem to work best?

 

 

65. Formalization works well in what type of organization?

 

66. Provide an example of an organization that has a functional structure.

 

 

67. Give an example of a company that is organized along divisional lines.

 

 

68. Compare and contrast mechanistic and organic structures.

 

 

69. What is a matrix organization?

 

 

70. What is a boundaryless organization?

 

 

71. What is a learning organization?

 

 

72. Describe some forms that organizational change takes.

 

 

73. List some issues in the external environment that might create a need for change in an organization.

 

74. What impact might workforce demographics have on an organization?

 

 

75. What impact might technology have on an organization?

 

 

76. What impact does globalization have on an organization?

 

 

77. What impact do market conditions have on an organization?

 

 

78. Name two ways in which people react to change.

 

 

79. Name two reasons why people resist change.

 

 

80. Is resistance to change always bad?

 

 

81. Briefly describe the Lewin process of change model.

 

 

82. What are two key steps to take in ensuring success in unfreezing for change?

 

 

83. What are two key steps to take to ensure change is appropriately executed?

 

 

84. What are two key steps in refreezing for change?

 

 

 

85. What impact does organizational structure have on ethics?

 

 

86. Do organizational structures differ around the world?

 

 

ESSAY

 

87. What impact does structure have on Toyota Company’s success in the automobile industry?

 

 

88. Choose a firm and discuss the nature of its structure using the four building blocks of structure as your focus.

 

 

89. Max has just been assigned to a project team after his organization restructured to a matrix organization. What kinds of advice could be offered him to help him deal with multiple bosses?

 

 

 

 

90. Describe a time when a change was made in some organization of which you were a part. Were you resistant to the change? Why or why not?

 

 

91. Describe an organization that you believe needs to undergo a change. Describe the change that is needed and, using Lewin’s model of planned change, discuss how you would implement that change.

 

 

92. You have just been downsized from the firm where you have worked for nine years. What do you do to recover?

 

 

 

93. Grace has been with her firm for a year and sees a number of procedures that she feels can be changed to enhance efficiency and effectiveness. She has offered those suggestions during group meetings and even through written communication to her boss. No one seems to pay any attention to the suggestions she has offered. How can she get support for her suggested changes?